22 April 2013

Schlumpf-Equipped Masuelli Bamboo/Carbon Six Speed Fixed Gear Bicycle

Masuelli Bamboo/Carbon profile view

This carbon fiber and bamboo frame was built by local Bay Area frame builder Masuelli Bikes. Neil wanted a bamboo bike partially as a novelty and partially based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from customers riding on the material. He had also been looking for a platform to try out the Sturmey Archer S3X 3-speed fixed gear hub and this seemed like a perfect fit.

Sturmey Archer S3X fixed gear hub and rear triangle construction

The goal was to build a fixed gear road bike for longer-distance rides. Masuelli was chosen as a more affordable option compared to other brands and was also promoting frames that were built in the Bay Area using locally grown "tubes".

09 April 2013

Rohloff-Equipped Surly Disc Trucker Commuting/Touring Bike


We built this bike for a local customer in Oakland, CA for commuting and bike packing.  He had come across the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 as the ideal drivetrain for a reliable, hassle-free daily transportation bike and came to us to test ride it and discuss build options.  The Surly Disc Trucker offered a value priced frame with Rohloff-specific features and disc brakes for all-weather braking performance.  We built the rest of the bike up with sturdy, economical parts.

01 April 2013

Rohloff-Equipped, Belt Driven Independent Fabrication 29'er MountainBike


We built this bike for a local customer in El Cerrito, CA as an insurance replacement for a bike that was stolen.  While he was sad to loose his old bike, he got some nice upgrades with the replacement: disc brakes, 29" wheels, custom frame.  He had purchased a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 several years earlier for a different bike, but that hub had subsequently gone unused following a bike swap.  After demo'ing one of our belt drive Rohloff bikes, he decided to build up something similar based on a custom steel frame built by Independent Fabrication (IF).  We converted his SPEEDHUB 500/14 to be disc brake and belt drive compatible and laced it into new rims for this build.  The paint scheme is based on the Titanium Factory Lightweight road bike from Independent Fabrication that we built up previously for a different customer.